


Left for dead. Curses from the snow.

by Xbertyx



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-20
Updated: 2015-07-28
Packaged: 2018-04-10 09:05:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 7,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4385951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xbertyx/pseuds/Xbertyx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>William has loved Grell for decades, never being able to tell her. Will his true feelings be revealed when he finds something shocking one Christmas Eve night?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. On a snowy Christmas eve.

 The wind blew fiercely around the streets of London, the ground covered in snow from the previous storm.

William looked down in shock, as a puddle of red pooled at his feet, soaking into the pure whiteness beneath. He had found Grell Sutcliff on the evening of the 24th December, 1875, unconscious and bleeding severely, barely clinging to life.


	2. Pulses.

 William scooped up Grell, who was surprising light and rushed her to the infirmary. The doctor looked up from the desk in the entrance hall as they entered. "What has happened here?"

 William looked down at Grell, who's face had turned to deathly white. Her lips were starting to turn blue. "I haven't a clue, she's bleeding severely. Please do something, her breath is extremely shallow."

 The doctor stood up quickly. "Please follow me." He took them to a room, which was reserved for life and death situations and instructed William to lay her on the bed. "Please wait in the hallway."

 William looked at him. "No I am her supervisor, I need to make sure she survives. I do not wish to leave her alone."

 The doctor looked at the stoic man, confusion knitting his brow. Did he actually care for one of his workers? "Very well but please step back."

 William did as he was asked and the doctor went to get a pair of scissors. He cut her blood soaked blouse off and gasped at the sight.

 "Is there a problem, doctor?"

 The doctor continued to stare at Grell's chest. There was a deep puncture in the area by her heart and several words carved into her skin  around the wound. "Mr Spears, do you recognise this writing?"

 William took a step closer to look at what the doctor was referring to. "It looks like Latin, sir?"

 "Yes it is but can you read it? It looks like some sort of incantation. I need to stem the bleeding before I can translate it properly, however."

He hooked her up to a heart rate monitor, before grabbing a towel. William was thankful for the fact that the reaper realm was far more medically advanced than the human world.

 "Her heart rate is very weak. I don't understand this. A human weapon, even if it pierced the heart, would not be enough to cause a reaper to be clinging to life like this. This has to be something not of the human world."

 There was a loud peeping noise and William looked up in horror, as the image on the heart rate monitor flattened. "No ... Grell."


	3. Defibrillator.

 William watched in shock, as the doctor and a nurse worked on Grell, trying to resuscitate her. Tears slipped from his eyes, as the doctor shocked her chest with the defibrillator, while the nurse held the oxygen mask over her mouth, pumping the bag attached to it to try to get her to start breathing again.William willed Grell to just pull through, to be as strong as she had always been in difficult situations.

 His heart leapt when the heart rate monitor began to show spikes and dips, as Grell's heart began to beat again. It wasn't over yet though, as a few minutes later her heart stopped again. Then again and again after that, in the next hour.

 William thought he was going to fall apart at any moment, having to keep thinking he was about to lose her, only for the medical staff to bring her back at the last minute.

 After a few hours, she had stabilised but her breath was still shallow. The doctor had hooked her up to a respirator, to help her as much as possible. He turned around to William, after he had attached a drip to the needle in her hand. "I'm afraid I do not understand this situation at all."

William looked up and him, frowning. "What do you mean, doctor?"

 The doctor sighed. "I don't understand why her heart keeps stopping. The stab wound has not pierced it. She has lost a lot of blood but being a reaper, she shouldn't be in such a critical condition. I think something supernatural may be at play here."

 "Have you been able to decipher the latin words yet?"

 The doctor shook his head. "No I've not had chance yet. I will go and do that now. I'm going to call the nurse back into the room, while I research. Miss Sutcliff is too ill to be left alone with no medical staff at present."He called the nurse and left the room.

 William took Grell’s hand in his and kissed it gently. "Please Sutcliff, pull through this. There's something I've been longing to tell you. Please, just keep fighting. "

Half hour past, before the door was pushed open hastily and the doctor rushed in, a look of worry spread across his face. William's heart sank, this was not a good sign. Not good at all.


	4. Down down down.

 "Have you found anything, doctor?"

 The Dr looked down at the floor sadly. "I'm afraid we were wrong, this isn't Latin. It's very similar but it appears to be some sort of demon language. I cannot translate this, I'm very sorry."

 An idea flashed through William's mind. "I think ... I know a reaper who might be able to translate this. He studies demon languages in his spare time. I'd always found his hobby to be a strange fascination and a waste of time. Now however, it may be of use to us."

 The doctor looked up at him, a more hopeful expression on his face. "Can you contact him?"

 "He isn't back at branch until later this morning. I will inform my receptionist to contact him and bring him here." William looked back at Grell, who looked even paler than before she was admitted. He hoped that she was able to hold on for six more hours, until he could request assistance from the other reaper.

 That's when he heard a familiar beeping sound and had to force himself to look over at the heart rate monitor, knowing full well what awful results it would show.

 The doctor and nurse moved quickly, to grab the equipment they would need to try to resuscitate her.

\-------

 Twenty minutes passed, with no improvement. The doctor turned to William, sadness clouding his eyes. "I'm so sorry ... Mr Spears. We've lost her ... nurse Smith, please clock her time of death at-"

 "No you can't give up on her that quickly. She can pull through this!" William couldn't believe what he was hearing, he just couldn't lose her.

 The doctor looked at him for a moment. "I'm sorry, Mr Spears. There's nothing more we can do. She was already clinging to life when she was admitted. Her body was unable to cope. We have tried all we can to help her."

 William shook his head. "No! Keep trying, please doctor. I know she's stronger than this. Just give her a chance!"

 "I'm sorry but it will be of no use, she's already passed on."

 William's fists clenched, knuckles turning white. "Please, just another five minutes. Please don't give up on her ... I ... I love her. I love her so much." Tears slipped from his eyes and he choked on sobs. "Please. Just give her another chance ... to live."

 The doctor just stared at him for a moment, before he spoke softly. "Okay, we shall try for a while longer but please do not be too hopeful. She's already been clinically dead for twenty minutes."

 William just nodded, as the medic staff resumed their resuscitation efforts. The reaper stood rooted to the spot, as he watched the scene in front of him, hopes and prayers flying around in his mind. 'Please Grell, I know you can pull through this. You've always been so strong, please don't give up now. Please, I need you."


	5. Funerals.

 William felt the weight of reality fall onto him like a solid brick. It was crushing. He couldn't believe this was happening. That the love of his life was really gone. That he had never had the chance to tell her his innermost feelings.

 If he had just found her sooner or had rushed over to the reaper's house for help like he knew he should have, this wouldn't be happening. He felt as if this was all his fault. He could have done more to save her.

 His mind wandered to having to tell her friends about her death. They would all be crushed, especially Ronald. Then there was the funeral, he would have to help with the preparations. Could he even face attending?

 Silent tears slipped down his face. Would the world ever be the same without her? Would life even be worth living after such an incredible loss?

 A change in noise caught his attention. Looking up at the heart rate monitor, his heart leaped. The flatline had been replaced by small rise and dips. Dr Cole looked down at the female reaper in shock. She had pulled through this. William had been right, she still had some fight left in her. "This is extraordinary." He whispered.

 William raced over to her bedside and gripped her hand. "Thank goodness." He turned to look at the doctor. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

 His mind then turned to the most important matter at hand. "We can't waste anymore time. I must visit the reaper at his house immediately. We cannot risk waiting until he enters the branch." Before the doctor could reply, William had ported out of the room.

\-----  

 The snow had begun to fall again and it was now four 'am'. William knocked on the reaper's door. They was no answer. He banged on it harder. After a few moments, a fuming Eric Slingby opened the door. "What the hell boss, it's four in the morning, what were you thinking? On Christmas day too."

 William had completely forgotten about the most important day in the calendar year. He had even brought Grell a Christmas present, which was waiting on his desk. He had been planning to ask her out on date for a few days later, once he had given her the gift, fully intent on making her Christmas as special as it could possibly be. He was sure she would be pleased, after all the times she had tried to get William to go out with her.

 William's mind swirled back go reality. "Reaper Slingby, I need to speak to Humphries straight away, it's regarding an important matter." Alan soon appeared at the door, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, clad in a pair of fluffy pink pjs.

 Alan's eyes widened as William finished explaining. He quickly got ready and the three reapers headed back to the infirmary.


	6. Deathly cough.

 Half an hour after they had arrived at Grell's bedside, the doctor had left the room, to test the blood samples he had taken from Grell. He had said he wouldnt be away for more than ten minutes, as he didnt want to leave her without medical supervison for too long.

 A few moments later, Alan spoke up. "I think ... I know which demon language this is. Give me a moment and I'll be straight back."

 He vanished for a few minutes, before he ported back into the room, a large book in his hands. He flicked through the book, before finding the page he needed. "This is it. It's definitely a curse. It's called 'daman re mon ange antacia'. Roughly translated, it means a spell to stop a death god's heart. To bait a death god's breath. That must be how it's making her heart stop, it's the affects of this curse. I'll still need to research this more, to be able to find out the details and to look for a cure."

 William nodded. "Very well. I will get the nessasary paperwork in order for you to be dismissed from your duties, until you have completed your research."

 "Oh, boss, I think you should tell Ronald when he comes in, about what has happened. He's her best friend, he deserves to know."

William nodded again. "I suppose you are right. I will see when his shift will start and alert him."

 Alan and Eric wished William a merry Christmas, before they left to go back home, so Alan could retrieve some more books from their residence.

 William put his head in his hands, mulling over the horrid events of the past several hours. That's when he heard movement from the side of him and a loud coughing.

 He looked over, to see Grell shoot up in bed, pulling the oxygen mask from her mouth sharply. Her eyes were wide and when she saw William looking at her, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Will, what are you doing -."

 She fell forward and William caught her, pulling her to his chest. "It's okay, Sutcliff. I've got you." He said, hand moving to stroke her back soothingly.

 "What's going on?" She asked weakly, voice muffled against his shirt.

 He rested his chin on her head, as tears slipped from his eyes. "You're in the hospital ... you're very sick. Do you remember anything ... about being attacked?"

 "Attacked? No ... I don't remember a thing. Why are you ... here? Why would you bother to come and see ... me, I thought you didn't care."

 A few sobs slipped from William's mouth. "I care ... I thought I had lost you ... I ...I love you so much, Sutcliff."

 She moved back to look at him, dark circles under her eyes. "What? Do ... you really ... mean that?"

 William nodded. "Yes ... very much. I'm sorry I ... I have never told you of my returned feelings before."

 She smiled at him. "I love you ... too. She coughed again, small frame wracking under the impact, before speaking once more, voice turning hoarser. "Come ...Lie down with me ... I'm so sleepy."

 William moved onto the tiny bed, pulling Grell close to him, as she lay her head on his chest and fell back into unconsciousness.


	7. Findings.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before Alan gets the thorns. Kinda ironic really.

 Dr Cole had entered the room a few minutes later, to find Grell curled up against William on the bed. Her wounds were healing quite nicely and her breath was strong enough for the doctor to decide not to put her back on oxygen.

 The fact that she had been awake made the doctor believe that her condition was improving and when William explained to him what Alan had discovered, the doctor considered that with time, the curse may lose its power and fade away.

 That hopeful thought was soon dashed, when Alan returned to the room. He explained that this curse was in some ways simular to the illness of 'The Thorns Of Death'. That it was attacking her heart and lungs, along with her nervous system. It was basically shutting her body down. He also explained that, as it was simular to the thorns, she would improve slightly and then her condition would relapse.

 He was still researching for a cure and the doctor hoped he would be able to find it, before her condition worsened again.

 -----

 An hour later, William and Grell were alone in the room, when she began to stir again. "Will?" She said, looking up at him.

 "Yes, what is it?"

 "Did you really mean what you said earlier? About loving me?" She asked nervously.

 William helped her into a sitting position and sat next to her, pulling her hand into his own. "I meant every word."

 "Then ... why did you never tell me before?"

 William sighed. "Because I never had the courage to tell you. You know that I'm a very guarded man, that I do not express feelings well, but I do love you very much."

 "Are you sure? It's not just ... because I'm ill?"

 "I'm quite sure." He said, before leaning over to kiss her softly. Her eyes widened in surprise, before she melted into the kiss, opening her lips slightly. William slipped his tongue into her mouth, lacing it with hers. He scooted closer, hand moving to the back of her head, to deepen the kiss.

 She sighed happily into the kiss, before she jerked her head back sharply, knocking his hand away. She began to cough loudly. William moved to rub her back gently, as she began to have a coughing fit, chest becoming wheezy.

 Once her coughing had ceased, she looked at William, breath shaky. "I don't feel ... very well, Will."

 Deep concern overtook him. "I'll go find the doctor."

 He went to get out of bed, but Grell's hand shot forward to grab his arm. "No ... I'll be okay. Just stay here with ... me ... Please."

 "Are you certain?" She nodded and lay back down on the bed. William followed suit and she snuggled into his chest. After a few minutes, she had fallen back to sleep.

 Several hours passed, of him just watching her sleep. He had to keep moving her thumb from out her mouth, so she wouldn't catch it on her sharp teeth, doing so carefully as to not wake her. He smiled softly at the sight, she looked so cute while sleeping.

 The door opened quickly and Ronald came rushing in, eyes glinting with unshed tears. "Oh my god, Alan told me everythin', is she alright?"

 William looked over at him. "Yes, her condition has stabilised for the moment, we are just waiting for Alan to research the cure. I'm sorry, I was planning to inform you myself."

 Ronald walked over to the bed. "It's alright boss, looks like y' got y' hands full righ' now." Ronald smiled down at the sleeping reaper. "She does that a lot, you kno'."

 William gave him a confused look and he continued. "Snuggles up to people, even 'er mates. I'm always wedged under 'er. Kinda' cute really." He paused for a moment, and then spoke again. "Y' like 'er don't y' boss?"

 A blush creeped across William's face, making the blonde smirk. "It's easy t' tell. Tha' way y' bin' lookin' at 'er. I'm not as stupid as y' think I am." His face then turned to a sad expression. "I jus' hope she'll be okay. Still in shock really, can't believe I nearly lost m' best mate."

 William looked down at Grell, then back to Ronald. "She will be, she's a fighter. Has been from the start. We will find a cure and she will be well again, I'm sure of it."


	8. Merry Christmas.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally found the cure?

 As the day was drawing to a close, William was becoming more irate and concerned. Grell was growing paler by the hour and Alan had still not come back to inform them of a cure. He worried that by the time they found a way to help her, it would be too late.

 A small, weak cough caught his attention and he looked down, as Grell opened her eyes slowly. “Will, I forgot to wish you merry Christmas. It … is still Christmas, right?” She said, weakly.

 “Yes, for a few more hours, at least”

 She smiled slightly. “Then merry Christmas, my love. I … brought you a present … like I do every year. It’s still at … home.”

 William ran his fingers through her hair. “Do not concern yourself with that, you can give it to me when you recover. I have a present for you, also.”

 She bit her lip, nervously. “What’s … wrong with me … exactly?”

 Once William had explained the situation, her eyes clouded with tears. “I don’t want to die … not when I finally have you.” Her mood then changed and she smiled widely. “I won’t die, I’m not going to let some little, bothersome demon curse beat me. Alan will figure it out soon, I’m sure he will.”

 “Yes, I’ve been saying all along that you’re too strong to succumb to –.” His sentence was cut short, as Grell fell into another coughing fit, curling up into a ball at his side, arm wrapping around her stomach. William’s stomach churned with worry. “Sutcliff, what’s wrong?”

 “I … don’t know … my body … it hurts …all over.” She said shakily, between whimpers and coughs.

 “I’m … going to get the doctor, don’t worry, everything will be fine.” William said, before rushing out of the door to find the doctor.

The doctor had returned to the room immediately, once William had found him, along with a nurse. They had had to hold Grell down on the bed, as she thrashed around from the pain that was shooting up her arms and legs. The doctor had injected her with some high strength pain killer and it had eased the agony slightly. Grell was now laid on the bed, wheezing slightly, with tears pricking at her eyes. She felt extremely tired, but the nagging pain was keeping her awake. William was holding her hand gently, knowing full well she was beginning to relapse.

 Alan, Eric and Ronald appeared in the room a few minutes later. William looked over at them. “What has taken you so long, Humphries? Do you not realise the gravity of the situation?”

 Alan eyed the ground sheepishly. “I’m sorry boss; this last paragraph was really hard to translate. I think I’ve found the cure now though.”

 “Well, what is it?” William asked impatiently.

 “It says in order to reverse the effects of the curse, we need to find the demon responsible and kill it.”


	9. Chasing a demon.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Totally robbed this from the text books shown in buffy the vampire slayer. #sorrynotsorry

 “How an earth are we even going to locate this demon? We have no information about it?” William asked. He then turned to Grell. “Do you recall anything about the events leading up to the attack?”

 She moved her head weakly to look at William, voice just above a whisper. “No … I think I mentioned something to Ronnie about it, but I can’t …can’t remember.”

 William’s head whipped around to glare at Ronald. “Is there something you have neglected to tell us, Knox?”

 Ronald rubbed the back of his head. “Erm … no, I don’t think so. Hang on a minute … I think I remember her saying something about a demon following her … around the area where the Undertaker works. Is that it?”

 “And you didn’t think to tell us this before? Of course that’s important information!” William snapped.

 “Sorry boss, I forgot.”

 Alan entered the conversation again. “Well now we know where to go searching and we also have a description of how the demon looks.” He flicked to the front of the book he had been reading and raised it, to show a drawing of the demon on the first page. It was a black and white, detailed sketch. The demon had spines jutting from its head, no nose but just slits for nostrils and a large mouth, complete with a set of jagged teeth. “This book also states that this type of demon cannot take human form. As well as this, the information details that it is invisible to humans but other demons and reapers can see it quite clearly.”

 William stood up abruptly. “Then I shall waste no time in finding this demon and slaying it.”

 “Wait boss, you shouldn’t go alone. We are-.” Ronald’s sentence was cut off when William ported out of sight.

\--

 William ported to the street on which the Undertaker did business, once he had returned to his office to pick up this scythe. As soon as he got there, he could smell the strong stench of demon. He followed the smell to its source, in an abandoned factory at the end of the street. He pushed open the door and entered, pulling his scythe from under his coat.

 He walked into the building, heading to the second room inside. He gripped his scythe tightly, as he spotted the demon, a dismembered corpse of a human lying at its feet. The demon turned around to look at the reaper, saliva dripping from its mouth. Anger bubbling up inside of him, William raced over to the demon, fully intent on ripping it to pieces.

 The demon moved out of the way, turning around to smack William with its arm and sending him flying backwards through the wall. The demon followed him and pulled him up by the collar, stabbing him in the stomach with its claw. William grunted in pain, as blood stained his t shirt and began to rise through him, slipping from his mouth. He shoved his scythe forward into the demon’s chest, piercing it. The demon screeched and dropped him. Clambering to his feet, he raised his scythe again and slashed it through the demon’s neck, severing its head. The demon fell to the floor, dead.

 William’s vision started to cloud from blood loss, his legs giving out. He fell to the floor, the world around him fading to black. He woke up an hour later and jumped up quickly, hand pressed against his injury. He had to return to the infirmary, to see Grell, expecting her to be recovering.

He ported back to the room of the infirmary and his heart sank. Grell looked even worse, skin almost transparent and breathing mask back over her mouth. Ronald was sat holding her hand, tears slipping from his eyes. William turned to Alan. “What is the meaning of this? Why isn’t she recovered?!”


	10. Mistaken.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Totally robbed this from buffy too, from one of the halloween eps.

 “I’m sorry, boss. I translated it wrong.”

 William glared at him. “Are you incompetent? What does it really say?”

 Eric took a step towards William. “Oi! Mind what you say to him!”

 He was pulled back by Alan. “It’s fine, Eric. I should have checked it twice, before telling anyone about what I had found. I thought the last sentence stated ‘killing the demon will reverse the curse’ when in fact, it meant ‘killing the demon will do nothing to reverse the curse.’ I’m sorry boss. I’ll keep researching, until I find out what the cure really is. It has to be in one of my textbooks somewhere.”

 William nodded. “Well begin researching again straight away; no more time can be wasted.”

 The doctor, who had been keeping check on Grell’s vitals, joined the conversation. “I just received the results of the blood samples I took from Miss Sutcliff. There were no toxins in the blood, as I was expecting would be the case but there was also nothing else abnormal. Nothing that could point towards treatment. As I already suspected, there is nothing medically that can help, apart from pain killers to ease her.”

 Alan and Eric headed out to get coffee for themselves, as they would have to research into the early hours of the morning. It was now almost midnight. The doctor spoke again, at seeing the blood stain on his shirt. “How are you feeling, Mr Spears? I should tend to that injury.”

 “No. No, there is no need. I’m quite alright. Just make sure Sutcliff’s condition doesn’t deteriorate further.” He walked to Ronald’s side and looked down at Grell. She way still awake but her eyes looked dazed, a few pained tears slipping down her face. William leaned over and wiped them away, as he spoke. “Don’t get upset Sutcliff, please. We will find a cure and get you well again. I promise.”


	11. Closer to dying.

 Two days had passed since William had slain the demon and Alan was still yet to find a cure. He had used up all the resources in his home and had started to look through the text books at the reaper branch resource centre. He was running on caffeine alone, forcing himself to stay up through the night to try to find a solution, regardless of the amount of times Eric had told him to take a break.

 William had spent day and night at Grell’s bedside, trying to do paperwork while she was asleep. He’d set up a foldable table in the room to work at but he had gotten little done, being too concerned with Grell’s life to be able to concentrate. Ronald would come to visit as soon as his shift finished, only going home to sleep in the early hours of the morning. The situation was taking a toll on the poor blonde reaper, his cheeky personality being replaced by a look of constant worry and upset.

 Grell’s condition was growing worse. She was in constant pain. In the times where the pain killers had worn off, she would scream out and thrash around on the bed. Both the doctor and William had received a number of bruises and scratches, as they tried to hold her down, so Dr Cole could administer more painkillers. Her heart had failed her countless times over the past few days and it was taking longer and longer each time for the doctor to be able to revive her.

 Still, there were times where her condition would improve for a short while. William was rubbing the bruise on his chin, that he had received an hour before. That's when Grell spoke, moving the oxygen mask away from her face. “Will … come lie down with me.” William did as he was told immediately, as she moved over on the bed slightly to give him some room. He lay down on his side, moving his fingers to stroke her cheek. She wanted to cuddle into him but her body hurt too much to be able to turn over.

 “I’m going to survive … this and then you’ll be … taking me to the theatre for … our first date, darling.” Her voice cracked, as she grew more breathless and pressed the mask back over her mouth.

 “Of course I will but right now please get some rest.” She shook a head, starting to cry again. “Still in pain?” She nodded, soft sobs muffled under the mask. William wiped her tears away and rolled over further to lean up and kiss her cheek. “Just keep strong for a little while longer.” He stayed at her side for the rest of the day.

\-----

 The next evening, Alan and Eric were still at the resource centre. Alan was reading a large textbook, filled with different remedies for curses. He had exhausted all the books on demons. Having had no luck, he had in a last effort to save Grell, decided to look up general curse solutions. As he was about to give up and finally allow himself to sleep, he spotted something.

 “Eric come look at this! I … I think I’ve finally found it.” He carried on reading, trying not to get his hopes up, until he found exactly what he was seeking. “This is it. We … we can save her!”


	12. Finding a solution.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wtf tirnel is this video?!! 'my virgin hole could not take it without tearing' WHAT THE ACTUAL F**K!!!

 Grell’s condition was beginning to improve again, though she was still in a lot of pain. She had removed her oxygen mask for a while, to let William kiss her tenderly. They parted when they heard the door open and two pairs of feet hurrying into the room. It was Eric and Alan, both looking as exhausted as the other. The doctor followed them into the room, having just been told by Alan that they had found a cure.

 “Boss, we know how to save her! There’s this flower, its thorns contain a substance that will be able to cure the effects of this curse. We just need to find it and administer it to Grell and she’ll be fine.”

 At that moment, Ronald stepped through the door, having just finished a late shift. He had heard the last part of Alan’s sentence. “Really? Yav’ found a way to save ‘er? Thank god. What have we gotta’ do?”

 “You will do nothing. I will be the one to find this plant.”

 Alan shot him a worried look. “No boss, you’re going to need our help. It’s more complicated than just finding this plant. It doesn’t exist in the human world, only in the demon realm which the demon that hurt Grell came from. It’s going to be dangerous, you can’t do this alone.”

 “I will not allow you-.” William began.

 “Alan’s right, I can’t bear … you risking getting yourself hurt.” Grell said, winching as she sat up in bed. “If you really want to put yourself in danger just to save me, you need the others to help you.”

 Eric nodded his head. “The babe’s right boss and we want to help.”

 William adjusted his glasses. “Very well, I see I have no choice in this but how exactly are we going to get to this realm? We are not demons; we have no way of finding it.”

 “Wrong, boss.” Alan said, smiling. “We have this. I copied it from a textbook. It’ll take us straight to the outskirts of the realm.” He lifted up a piece of paper with a circular symbol on it. “Also, this is the flower we are looking for.” He said, gesturing to the page of the book Eric was holding up for them. “It looks just like an Erica, quite beautiful really, for something of the demon world.”

 Eric rolled his eyes. “Y’ and ya’ bloody flowers.”

 “We should go straight away then.” William said. He turned to the doctor. “I will be leaving Grell in your capable hands. Please take good care of her.”

 Alan spoke again. “She needs to come with us, boss. From what I’ve read, once the stem is broken away from the plant, the chemical in the thorns will deteriorate at an alarming rate. By the time we get back here, it will be useless.”

 William frowned at him. “She is too sick to be taken with us. She won’t survive it.”

 “It’s the only option. We have ta’ try. There’s no other way.” Said Ronald, voice cracking slightly.

 Grell moved her hand to hold William’s. “I’ll be okay, Will. It’s nothing a deadly efficient reaper can’t handle.” She said, winking at him.

 “We need to get some medical supplies ready and then we can go.” Alan said, before leaving the room with Eric.

A few minutes later, they returned, Eric carrying a large rucksack on his back. They all grabbed their death scythes and the doctor handed William a small case, filled with needles. He told William to use them, when Grell’s pain increased again. William slipped it into his pocket, as the doctor unhooked the machines from Grell and wished the male reapers the best of luck. William knelt down at the side of the bed and Grell moved to the edge of it weakly, before pressing her legs to William’s sides. He hoisted her up onto his back, his heart breaking as she whimpered from the pain of moving and wrapped her arms around his neck.

They stood in a circle and Alan cut his hand on the edge of Eric’s scythe, letting the blood drop onto the paper. He began to recite a spell in the demon’s language. “Meh mohana goteq mon ange ansisana.” A black portal appeared in the middle of them and they all nodded at each other, before stepping forward into the demon realm.


	13. The realm of the dead.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh what do you guys think will happen in the next chapter after this one? It will be the final chapter of the series? Grell will live or die? Opinions?

 The portal disappeared from behind the reapers and the males looked around. It was a barren land, sharp cliffs falling down into a black ocean. There was no plant life to be seen in this area, just endless stretches of red sand and pointed rocks.

 “Well, at least there are no demons around yet, we should go find this flower. Eric said. “Alan, which way should we ‘ead?

 “We should head away from the ocean, towards the middle of this island. There should be plant life the further we go into it.” He replied, slipping the piece of paper into his coat pocket for later use.

 They all began to walk forward, keeping their eyes peeled for demons. Grell started to cough, body shaking against William’s back. “Babe, y’ alright?” Ronald asked, looking at her.

 As her coughs ceased, she whispered “I’m so tired Ronnie, I just want to sleep.”

 “No! You must stay awake, Sutcliff.” William said sharply, concern washing over him. “You cannot fall asleep. Just keep talking to us. I’ll keep asking you questions and you must answer, it’ll help you stay awake.” She nodded against his shoulder.

 As they continued to walk, Ronald and William took it in turns to ask her various questions; Ronald’s making the female giggle weakly. Still, her voice was growing more tired sounding and she was taking longer each time to answer the questions. William knew they would have to hurry, before she slipped away completely. They all turned, when they heard loud footsteps behind them and saw three demons approaching. Eric and Ronald managed to kill the first two by beheading them but the third knocked William back and he fell on top of Grell, on the floor. She screamed in pain and William rolled off of her quickly.

 The demon approached the two reapers on the floor and William shot up, slashing the reaper in two with his death scythe and killing it. He sank back down onto his knees, lifting Grell’s hospital gown up. Above her underwear and up her chest, large angry bruises started to appear. She began to convulse uncontrollably, loud sobs slipping from her lips, as pain overtook her body.

 “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” William said, as he pulled the needle case from his coat pocket. He tried to hold Grell’s arm down but she pulled it away. “Ah … it hurts … no … no, stop …stop!”

 Ronald raced down onto the floor by her side, gripping her hand tightly in his and pressing the top of her arm into the floor with his other. “Babe, please calm down. We’re trying ta’ help y’.” He said, as she tried to rip her hand away from his. William lent over and pulled a needle from his case, pressing it into the vein of her arm. He was thankful that he had undertaken some medical training in the academy and was able to find a vein. After a minute or so, her movements slowed, as the drug took effect in her system.

The pain didn’t subside completely and tears ran down her face, as she sobbed weakly. William scooped her up in his arms and the reapers hurried further to the centre of the island. The minutes passed by and with each second, Grell’s breath turned more to wheezes, her body beginning to fail her. Her body shook terribly in William’s arms. “Sutcliff, please just hold on. Keep fighting, I believe in you.” William pleaded.

 They reached the bottom of a slope, that travelled up towards the sky. There was a hill at the top of the slope and Alan pointed up towards the peak of it. “Look up there! Can you see those blue flowers up on the hill? The ones with the large thorns? That’s the plant we need.”

 Ronald looked up, spotting the flowers. “I can barely see ‘em. Its gunna’ take forever to reach ‘em.” At that moment, there was a loud cracking sound, as a large group of demons came towards them.

 Eric raced towards them, brandishing his scythe. “Boss, ya’ gotta’ go, now! Get Grell up there as fast as you can.”

 William looked at the group of demons. “But-.”

Ronald moved forward and shoved the end of his lawnmower into one of the demons heads. “We can handle this! Just hurry up and save Grell. Bring her back to us safe, okay boss?”

“Thank … thank you.” With that, William sped off to the start of the slope, carrying Grell in his arms tightly. “Just hold on a little longer, Sutcliff. I’m going to save you.”


	14. Dead in my arms.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prepare to cry and then laugh and then cry some more. Totally intended to screw with your hearts on this one. Leave me your feedback!

 It had taken ten minutes of brisk walking, before William had found his way to the base of the hill. Looking up, he realised how steep the climb actually was.

 He began to walk up it, the sand beneath his feet turning to grass, bare wasteland becoming thick with shrubs and plants. Sharp rocks turned to large, smooth stones.

 As he reach the half way point of his ascent, his legs started to ache and he became breathless. Grell was as light as a feather, having lost weight from her brief illness but the weight of his worries was pushing down on him, making walking a tedious affair.

 Grell noticed and spoke quietly, between wheezes. "Will, ... I think you should ... take a quick ... break you need ... to rest, darling."

 He looked down at her, frowning. "Don't be stupid, Sutcliff. I need to get you to those flowers as quickly as possible."

 "Please ... Will. There's something ... I need to tell you face to face. Put ... me down ... for a moment."

 William sighed. He couldn't deny his love this one wish. He placed her down, resting her back against a smooth rock and knelt between her legs. She looked at him, love for the man glinting in her eyes. "There's something ... I need to tell you. I love you so much."

 "I already know that, Sutcliff. I love you with all my heart too."

 She continued. "I want you to ... go to my house ... to get your Christmas present ... It's on the bed ... in my bedroom."

 William grew more concerned, realising where this conversation was heading. "You ... can get it for me yourself, when you've recovered. We will have plenty of time for gift transferral then."

 She looked at him sadly. "Will, ... I'm not going to make it. I've tried ... I really have. Please believe ... me but my body ... I can't fight anymore." Her eyes began to slip shut.

 William grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Sutcliff, you need to stay awake, do you hear me? You're stronger than this. Don't you dare give up on yourself! Not after you've been fighting this for so long. I won't lose you. I refuse!"

 Her eyes opened again slightly. "It ... hurts again. The pain ... killers aren't lasting ... as long as before." Her head fell forward and she coughed sharply, blood dripping from her mouth.

 William's eyes widened at the sight. She was fading away right in front of him. He quickly pulled a needle from his case and injected the medicine into her arm. Waiting a few moments for it to kick in, he lifted her back into his arms and carried her further up the hill. "Right. I'm going to ask you some more questions, make sure to answer."

 She spoke tiredly, barely able to stay conscious, voice just a weak whisper. "No ... its my turn. I might be able ... to stay awake if ... its an answer ... I'm interested in finding out."

 He smiled slightly. "Fine, as you wish."

 "First question. How big ... are you exactly?"

 That question confused him. "Big? What are you going on about?"

 She pressed her head against his chest, his heart beat comforting her somewhat. "You ... know, down ... there. Small, average, big?"

 "That's hardly an appropriate question."

 "It's perfectly fine ... darling, it does belong to me now ... after all."

 He laughed slightly at that remark. She still had a sense of humour, even at a time like this and what she said was true. "Well, I'll have you know, I'm in the large department."

 She giggled softly. "You're ... just ... saying that."

 "You'll just have to wait and see."

 In what felt like no time at all, they reached the top of the hill, the flowers just ahead of them. "We're here Sutcliff. I'm-." His voice caught in his throat, as he felt her go limp in his arms. He ran over to the flowers and lay her on the ground.

 He knelt next to her and shook her. She was turning cold, lips becoming blue. "Sutcliff, wake up! Please! Grell!" He received no reply and quickly ripped a stem from the plant, pressing the long thorn down into the vein of her arm.

 He pressed his fingers to her neck, feeling for a pulse. There wasn't one. Tears slipped from his eyes and he began to sob. He pulled her into his arms, chin resting on her head. He was too late. Too late to save her.

 "Please, Grell. Come back, I love you so much. Don't leave me. I ... love ... you." What felt live forever seemed to pass, as he cradled her in his arms, crying out those three words again and again.

 "I love ... you too Will." He looked down in shock, as she slowly opened her eyes and smiled at him. Her complexion had begun to return, replacing ghostly white skin.

 He picked her up and quickly ran all the way back down the hill and then the slope, to find the other reapers. Ronald was sat on the ground, Alan tending to his broken ankle. Eric lay next to him, looking absolutely exhausted.

 As they spotted the couple racing towards them, they all looked up and cheered, seeing Grell awake and smiling widely. "The deathly red reaper has returned, darlings!" She exclaimed, as William placed her on the ground and sat down next to her.

 They all jumped on her and gave her a big hug, Ronald wincing as he twisted his ankle moving. Once they had all told her how relieved they were and Eric had bragged about killing most of the Demons himself, Alan reopened the gateway with more blood and the same verse spoken backwards.

 They ended up back in the infirmary and the doctor looked up from his desk, smiling at seeing Grell back to full health. He checked them all over and sent them home.

 -----

 The following day, William had brought Grell her present to her house, after he had finished work. She opened it, to find a beautiful ruby encrusted necklace. "Oh! Will, it's so beautiful, thank you!

 "You're very welcome." He said, kissing her, before turning to open his own present. He gaped at the present. It was a large and very expensive looking watch.

 She smiled at seeing his expression. "You're very welcome too, darling."

 It hadn't taken Grell long to drag him to her bed and push him down on the covers, climbing on top of him and kissing him fiercely. Before long their clothes were discarded on the floor and small moans filled the room, as William prepared her gently, kissing all over her chest and neck.

 He looked into her eyes and spoke. "I love you so much. I'm so lucky to have you."

 "I'm lucky to be with you too, dear." He rolled her onto her side, moving behind her and kissing the back of her shoulder. He then entered her slowly, giving her chance to relax to how big he actually was, before moving inside of her.

 Wrapping his arm around her and holding her hand, his pace increased, making sweet love to her, as she moaned his name.

 They lay panting after climax, before Grell rolled over and cuddled into his chest, falling to sleep almost instantly. He held her tightly, feeling blessed to have such a beautiful woman to call his own.

 ----

 A few days later, they went to a party to celebrate her recovery to full health. William decided to go, Grell convincing him to, after a lot of coaxing and telling him how he deserved to have some fun after such a rough week.

 It hadn't taken long for Ronald and Eric to get drunk, singing new years songs at the top of their lungs. Grell pulled Alan aside to thank him for all of his hard work in saving her. That's when she saw his eyes glaze over with tears. "Darling, whatever is the matter?"

 He looked at the floor, speaking quietly. "Please don't tell ... Eric about this. I ... don't want him to know yet. I've ... just been diagnosed with The Thorns Of Death. I ... I only have a few weeks left. I'm ... so ... scared."

 Grell pulled him into a tight hug, her heart sinking. After all he had done to save her, no one would be able to save him. He couldn't be saved. There was nothing any of them could do. Nothing at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't I say that Alan saying it was like the thorns of death was ironic? Surprise. I'm so evil.


End file.
